New Neighbors
by Oncie's Sweetheart
Summary: Welcome to my world. Where lies and betrayal are apparently normal. Because now it's all I'll ever know. Want to hear my story? Listen in. But don't say I never warned you it wouldn't be pretty. When the new neighbors moved into Jeremy Lin's house, I thought we'd get boring old normal people. But he was ANYTHING but normal. Guess that's why I fell in love with him so easily.
1. Introduction

**A/N: So, this is, again, based off of a dream I had. It also contains my previous OC Rashika, but her actual personality might differ from _Can The Apocalypse Bring Sunshine? _This is another Once-lerxOC (I love those) and Rashika and The Once-ler are both sixteen. :)**

**I hope you guys like this story!**

**~ OS**

* * *

Rashika's P.O.V.

So.

Where to start?

I'm assuming that if you're reading this, you'll want to hear a cheesy, bubbly, "and they lived happily ever after" love story.

If only.

Love story?

Yes.

But cheesy, bubbly, and happily-ever-after it is _not_.

Want to keep reading?

Go right ahead.

But don't say I didn't warn you about the destruction, the betrayal, the ultimate sadness.

As for actually starting this story...

I'll tell you later.

What? I'm not _stalling_!

Not at all!

Of course I'm fine telling you about the best and worst thing that happened to me.

Of course I''m fine telling you about the promises he made and never kept.

Of course I'm fine-

No, I'm not.

And I never will be.

But this is my only chance.

And I'm taking it.

* * *

**So...**

**I wanted more time to make sure about what I'm going to write to actually start it.**

**But, I also wanted to see who thinks this might turn into a good story.**

**:)**

**So REVIEW!**

**R-E-V-I-E-W!**

**I'm writing the next chapter already!**

***hint hint***

**~ OS**


	2. The Someone

**A/N: Just thought I'd update. I really have nothing to say.**

**:)**

**~ OS**

* * *

Rashika's P.O.V.

It was an ordinary summer day in Sarantown. Home of the Saran Wrap. Really? I mean, could you get more pathethic?

Actually, never mind. Ever since I watched _Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs_, I've been just fine with Sarantown. Don't want to be called "Tunaville, Home of the Largest Tunafish" or something.

I was raising money for a school trip the next year. Besides babysitting, mowing lawns, and pulling out weeds for my neighbors, I was also selling lemonade and brownies on the corner of my culdisac.

I was in a pretty bad mood.

I always knew my best friend Emma Sorenson and I were growing apart, but I never thought she'd do something like _this_.

All through ninth and tenth grade, Emma had liked this guy named Mason. He was one of the "popular" kids though, so according to Emma, she was "doomed" and "would never find true love". After one particularly long whining session, I just asked her why she couldn't just get more popular, if it mattered so much to her.

Next thing I knew, she was ignoring me in the hallways, sitting with everyone else at lunch, basically just abandoning me.

Yay me. I try to help Emma, then she goes and pretends I never existed.

Emma was one of my only friends. I mean, we'd known each other since we were _three_.

The only two people who actually acknowledged me now, were Sarah McLain and Norma Wiggins.

Sarah McLain. Dirty blonde hair. Pale blue eyes. Pale skin. Thin. Average height. Probably the nicest person in the history of the world. Yet, she's a social outcast. No one knows why. But she has her own bestie, Jessica Zhang. Who positively _hates_ me. Again, no one knows why. So Sarah was more of a sometimes-there friend. I don't blame her.

Norma Wiggins. Brown curls. Brown eyes. Short. Plumpish. Probably the second-nicest person on the planet. If she likes it, she tells you. Gushingly. (Is that a word?) But if she doesn't like something, or thinks it's wrong, she tells you. And she tells you to your face, with no kind words to water it down. That's what I like about Norma. She isn't afraid to tell you what she thinks.

Then there's me. Rashika Remmo. Someone who was normal in elementary school, slowly pushed out in middle school, and completely on her own in high. Short, but taller than Norma with the same untameable black curls, and deep brown eyes. Slightly tanned skin. Sometimes people mistake Norma and I for sisters. But we're not. And I don't think we'll ever be that close. But we're pretty good friends all the same.

So anyways, I was in a crappy mood, trying to sell lemonade and brownies, when my actual sister ran up to me.

"RA-SHI-KA! Mom wants you to take brownies to the new neighbors," she yelled from halfway down the street.

"New neighbors? What new neighbors?" I asked, confused.

See? I never know anything until it's too late!

"THE new neighbors!"

"Real help you are!" I shouted back.

"I know!" she shouts back. Then, she starts to run home.

"By the way, they moved into Jeremy Lin's house!"

Jeremy is this kid who never comes outside and never talks to anyone. He has friends, but I've only seen them go inside the house. He's also some kind of violin prodigy. He's eleven and plays the violin better than I ever could. Well, I play viola. Same difference.

Not many people know what a viola is, so I think I'll explain.

A viola is like a violin, but it's slightly bigger and doesn't have the highest string, the "E" string. Instead, it has a much lower string, a "C" string after the G.

Let me show you (from highest to lowest):

violin: E, A, D, G

viola: A, D, G, C

See?

The place where I live is a huge maze, which you eventually learn to navigate.

The culdisac I live in is shaped like a sideways U.

If you look at it like that, I live in the right bottom of the U, right where that comma is. Kind of.

Where Jeremy lived (where the new neighbors are), would be somewhere along that left side of the U, and the left tip would be where I was selling lemonade.

I picked up an unopened package of brownies and trudged over to the house.

I absolutely hated doing this, but every time someone moved, my sister or I would have to go take cookies or brownies or pizza or _something _ to the new people. Then we'd have to talk. And I knew my mom would want me to say something about the weeding, or the lawnmowing, or the babysitting if they had little kids.

I walked up the path. It still had the same plants that Jeremy's family had- or at least I _think _it did...

DinG-DonG!

I jumped a little. The bell was really loud.

A blond lady with a fur scarf on answered the door. She looked around above my head for a while, and then looked down at me.

"He-llo!" she said.

I internally groaned. She sounded like one of those people who get waaaaay too excited by things.

"Hi! I'm Rashika Remmo. I live over there!" I said, in an extremely chipper voice, pointing at my house. "I was just bringing some brownies over to welcome you to the subdivision."

A couple of boys came up in the background.

"Who is it ma?" one of them asked.

As they came forward, I could see that they were identical twins, with brown hair and tall frames.

The blond lady turned to look at them.

"Brett, Chett, meet your new neighbor Rashika..." she trailed off.

All I could think was, _They have matching names too?_ Then I snapped out of it, figuring that I was being rude.

"Remmo. Rashika Remmo."

"Hi." One of them said. I wasn't sure which one.

"Grizelda! Ubb!" called the blond lady, who I figured was the mom.

I wondered if Grizelda was her daughter, and if so, I felt bad for her. Just then, a shadow filled the doorway.

"Hello," came a slightly unpleasant voice. I looked up to see a hulk of a woman (I assumed it was a woman) with hair like Viking horns and an enormous purple dress.

"Um, hi..."

"Who's this?" asked a man who had popped into the side of the frame. Was this the dad?

"I'm Rashika Remmo... I live over there. Are you their father?" I asked.

"No!" he said, in a voice that sounded almost... scared... "I'm their uncle."

"I'm their aunt," grunted the woman-hulk-thing.

So she WAS a woman.

"And I'm their mother!" smiled the mom in an extremely bright and fake smile.

"It was nice to meet you," I said, and turned to go, figuring that was everyone.

"Nice to meet you too, Rashika..."

"Remmo."

"Yes, Remar."

Suddenly, there was a crash, and I jumped again.

"What was that?" I asked tentatively.

"Nothing," said the mom, and a weird look came on her face- was it... anger?

But then someone else came to the doorway.

"What's going on?"


	3. A Clearup and a Confession

**A/N: Chapter Three!**

**nothing else. :)**

**~OS**

* * *

_"What's going on?"_

I stared at the figure, confused.

"Who's that?" I asked, yes, a bit rude, but I wanted to know.

The mom pursed her lips.

"That... is my _son_." The way she said son made it sound like she would have prefered using any other word. It was almost like if she had a chance to change things, she'd portray him as anyone else. I bet she would have, if her family hadn't been standing right there.

The figure in the back didn't make any effort to move forward, like he didn't want to be seen. All I could make out was that he was either very tall, or was walking on stilts. And from the way the person was leaning on the wall, the former made a LOT more sense.

"Come on, Oncie, let the girl see you," said the mom through gritted teeth.

_Oncie?_

The person sighed and stepped forward, so that the sunlight hit him. I got my first look at this Oncie, trying to see his features.

Black hair, with bangs swept to the side, bright blue eyes, and extremely tall. I'd bet about 6 1/2 feet. Compared to my 5'1 1/2" frame, I felt tiny.

Or I would have if he hadn't tripped right at that moment and landed sprawling at my feet.

"Are- are you okay?" I asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled, getting up and retreating back to his spot, blushing.

I assumed this happened to him a lot, because the rest of his family didn't seem to care less.

Now that I'd seen all this, I felt a little unwelcome and nervous, like I was intruding into their space. I thought the family felt that way too, because there was a tense silence. Then-

"Well, thanks for the brownies, Rashika Ramen, I hope we'll see you again soon," said the mom in her bright and too-cheery voice.

I didn't bother to correct her as I made my goodbyes and left the house, not looking back once.

* * *

Later that night, at dinner, I thought I'd gotten out of conversation about the new neighbors when-

"So, how were the new neighbors?" asked my sister.

She had done it on purpose,_ that_ I knew.

Gritting my teeth, I said, "They were okay."

"Did you ask about babysitting Rashika?" asked my mom.

"_Mom_, the kids are all my age and older!"

"What about mowing their lawn? Or pulling weeds?"

Crap.

"No... I forgot..."

"Well, go ask them now,"

"No!"

"Why not?"

I searched my brain for a good excuse.

"Because... they probably finished dinner and are asleep or something now. I'll ask tomorrow. Can _I_ go to sleep now?"

"Everything's tomorrow with you. But sure, get some sleep."

"Thanks mom. And school starts next week. You know I can't suddenly start getting up at 5:30 like that! I need a few days to get used to it!"

"Or the whole year," muttered my sister.

"I heard that." I stuck my tongue out at her. Sure, it was childish, but who cares? I actually wasn't looking forward to school all that much. I mean, I usually am, because I get sick of summer by the end of July. But after what happened last year... I didn't really want to go back.

Eleventh grade was sure to suck.

Before I got into bed, I wondered what grade those boys would be in. The twins would probably be seniors, but the tall kid I wasn't so sure about. His height really threw you off...

Oh well. No use bothering about it when I'd find out in a week anyways.

* * *

**A/N: This is a really short chapter, so PLEASE don't yell at me for that, but I really need to think about whether I should do a chapter in Once's P.O.V. or not. And I'm not sure about it yet, so that's why this chapter is done here. **

**Sorry guys. :)**

**~OS**


	4. Somewhat In Trouble

**A/N: okay, I've decided. :D **

**We'll be staying in Rashika's P.O.V. for now. **

**Because if I write in her P.O.V., then whatever The Once-ler does/does not do is acceptable, because it's her opinion. But the minute I write in his P.O.V. and give reasons for stuff, that's when it's a make it or break it. :D**

**Hope that's okay!**

**~OS**

* * *

I never did go back to ask.

I was hesitant, and nervous, and okay, maybe a little bit scared of that family.

I pushed it off, and after a couple days, I caved and told my mom that I had asked, and they had said no.

Sure, I felt bad for lying, but I REALLY didn't want to go.

The days went by, and I never heard back from them. School became the bigger problem, and I started to focus on that, completely leaving the new neighbors behind in my memory bank. I emailed Liz about the upcoming year, and complained to her for all I was worth. All in all, it was a pretty average summer.

I should probably explain about Liz.

See, when my mom and dad divorced, my dad moved to California, and re-married. I went to see them once, and I learned I had a step-sister: Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Taylor. She's twenty-one now, and is probably the best step-sister I could have ever had. Sometimes I wish she was my _real _sister, and that my sister was in California instead.

I'm still hoping.

So, anyways, the days flew by, I forgot about the neighbors, and school loomed up in front of me.

Then it was _the day._

Top Three Things I Hate About School:

1. The bus

2. The bus

3. The bus

So when I got to the bus stop, I got ready to climb in and grab the front seat, the safest place to sit.

I was pretty surprised to see those twins there; I assumed they'd be in college, but maybe they got held back. That was all I really thought of the neighbors. The tall kid, Oncie, wasn't at the stop. I didn't understand why, but, hey, I wasn't complaining.

Maybe he was homeschooled. Or something.

School went by pretty quickly; I got a decent math teacher, for once, and okay science and history teachers. My orchestra teacher was just sad, but my elective, Life skills, was pretty good. In Chinese, I had the same teacher as last year, Mrs. Song, so I was all good there. I had B lunch, not too early, not too late, and Norma was in it, so that was actually better than the past couple of years.

It was all normal until fourth period, which was science for me.

The principal rarely uses the intercom anymore, because nobody listens, so it wasn't a surprise when the phone rang in the middle of a PowerPoint.

The teacher listened for a long time, and usually, the longer the call, the worse the problem. Everyone was on the edge of their seats trying to see who messed up on the first day when the teacher, Mrs. Sharpoon, turned around and said "Rashika Remmo to the office, please."

I didn't get it at first, why everyone was staring at me.

Then I realized, _I _was being called down. Me? Me! I hadn't done anything! But complaining wasn't going to help me here, so I stomped out of the classroom and out to the office.

* * *

"So I'd like you to show him around the school. He'll be in all of your classes, and you should know your way around by now."

After an excruciating half an hour wait outside the office, I was marched into Mr. Denairo's office. Inside was Oncie (so I guess he's _not_ homeschooled) and Mr. D himself. After what sounded like an hour-long lecture (Though it was only 15 minutes), I was told that I was responsible for this kid.

"Wait, so he's in _all _my classes? Even _Life Skills_?"

"Yes, Miss Remmo, _all _your classes."

"But why _me_?" I asked. "No offense," I added towards Mr. Tall.

"Because not only have you been at this school for the past two years, but he also tells me he knows you."

"Knows me? How does he know- oh."

"So I take it you _do _know him."

"Yes." I said with my teeth gritted. "We're neighbors. He just moved in."

"I don't want to hear your life story, Miss Remmo. Now, go. I have important matters to go over."

My mouth was open. I probably looked like a goldfish.

I hate Mr. Denairo.

"Follow me," I said to Oncie, and I nearly ran out of the office.

I was _not _ in the mood to go back to class. But I'd never skipped before in my life, and even if I did now, this Oncie would be sure to tell.

Then I had an idea. Oncie didn't know his way around the school. There was less than half the period left, and lunch was next. If I could just find somewhere to stay for twenty minutes, or somewhere that would take a while to get to, I might be able to get away with it. Maybe. Just maybe.

I decided the bathroom might be an ideal place to hatch a plan. It's not like Oncie could come in and stop me.

"I need to stop at the bathroom." I announced. "You wait outside. And don't move."

I went in and started thinking. We had three floors. Lunch was on the second. We were on the first. Science was on the third. If I just took an extrememly long route, I might just delay us enough to skip. Satisfied with my idea, I stepped out. When I looked around, I couldn't see Oncie anywhere. Perfect. And I wasn't being sarcastic this time. Because the longer it took for me to find him, the more time we wasted.

I nearly laughed at the situation.


	5. From Lunch and Buses

**A/N: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm back!**

**After getting some reviewing done by my best friend... (She does NOT have a Fanfiction, as far as I know...)**

**:D**

**Sally Fantastic- I must say I nearly laughed myself to death when I read your review there. :3**

**So, back to our school, and our little Rashika and Oncie here...**

**~OS**

* * *

I took my time walking around. It's not as if anyone would see me. And if anyone saw him, he could just take on the role of the lost and confused new kid who had no idea where he was.

I actually kind of felt bad for him, getting stuck with me as a guide. Of all the people in this entire school (and there were a lot!), he just had to remember my name. Course, it didn't really affect _me_...

It took me a while to realize that there was only ten minutes of class left. Ten minutes for me to find this kid and take him to lunch. Crap.

Thinking hard now, I decided the best place to look would probably be from where I started. I retraced my steps back to the first-floor bathroom, where I stumbled upon an interesting scene: Stupid Peter Triginali and his group of friends surrounding a kid. Probably threatning someone. Again. I peered into the center of the circle. It just _happened _to be who I was looking for.

"Found you." I sighed.

Peter turned around.

"You talking to me?"

"Since when have I _ever _talked to you?"

Something you should know about me: If I get into an argument, I don't back down. Not even if I'm wrong.

"I don't know. But who else would you be talking to? No one else _worthy _enough here."

"Peter, just wondering, how much did you bribe the teacher to get into advanced math?"

He was saved from a response as Mrs. Wardighiani walked in.

"_What_ is going on over here?" she said in her shrill voice. Some of the boys actually covered their ears.

"Nothing." Peter said, and he shot me a dirty look. It said _"I'll get you back for that"_.

I responded with an equally steely glare.

"Come on." I said to Oncie and I dragged him off.

* * *

"So, what'd you do?" I asked Oncie.

He was sitting with Norma and I, mainly because he couldn't get a table anywhere else.

He looked confused.

"You know. Why'd Peter start being an idiot to you?"

"Um... Possibly because I was taller than him?"

I snorted.

"You're kidding me."

"Actually... no."

_That's a new low. Even for Peter,_ I thought.

"So! Rashika! Who do you have for English?" asked Norma.

"One sec. Let me check."

"That rhymes."

"Does not!"

"Yes it does."

"Norma, 'sec' and 'check' do _not _rhyme"

"Yes, they DO."

"Nope."

"Yup."

"Nuh uh."

"Ya huh."

"What do you think?" I directed my question towards Oncie.

He jumped. "What?"

"I said, do you think 'check' and 'sec' rhyme?"

"Um..." he thought about it for a moment. "Yeah."

"YES!" shouted Norma.

"I still say they don't." I grouched.

"Ah, deal with it. It's a fact of life. 'Check' and 'sec' rhyme."

"No, they don't."

"Whatever. Can I have your apple?"

"I'll trade you for the Ritz."

"Deal."

She tossed her ziploc full of crackers to me while taking my apple.

"So, who _do_ you have for English?"

"Mr. Tezl. I think."

"What about you?" she asked Oncie.

"Same."

"You?" I asked Norma.

"I think I'm in your class."

"Nice."

A thought occurred to me. This was the perfect time to find out Oncie's _real_ name.

"Hey, I never found out. What's your name?"

Norma looked at me. "You still don't know his _name_? What kind of person are you?"

"An evil one."

"I'm The Once-ler"

"You're the _what_?" said Norma.

"The Once-ler." he said. We must have still looked confused because he sounded it out for us. "Once. Ler. The. It's my name."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhh." I said, in an exaggerated voice.

Then I burst out laughing.

After a couple of minutes, I stopped.

"What?"

He was looking at me all annoyed.

"Haha. Veeery funny."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

* * *

The end of the school day finally came around, and I was ready to board the bus when I realized The Once-ler wasn't following me.

I walked back.

"Hey, aren't you coming?"

"Coming..."

"On the _bus_."

"I don't take the bus."

"How come?"

"Uh, no reason."

"Your _brothers _take the bus."

"So?"

"So how come they do and you don't?"

"Why do you care? It's none of your business anyways!" He stalked off.

I watched him go. Something wasn't right...


End file.
